Stress What Does Stress Actually

Stress

What does Stress actually mean and connote? Stress is a state of tension and mental strain or suspense, and it is also a force that is responsible for producing a certain amount of strain on the physical body. Some sort of disturbance or anguish in the mind could cause it, and stress is generally accompanied by a whole lot of worries and anxieties and constant doubts and fears, and also, at times, suspicions and doubts. (Definition of Stress on the Web) Stress is found everywhere and is so widespread a phenomenon that it is almost impossible to read a newspaper or a magazine without seeing some sort of reference to the word 'Stress'. What is the reason for the obsession and fascination with the term, because it is a fact that stress has been in existence from the time when life on earth must have started?

Is it true that contemporary stress is somehow greater than the stress of the years gone by, or is because there is simply more stress today than there was before, or is it because scientists are now conducting more and more researches into the matter, and are discovering the vital role that stress plays in the modern world of today, and the fact that it has now been confirmed that stress can not only cause a number of disorders in a human being but can also aggravate certain existing conditions in man. It must be remembered that stress is an important part of life today, and as Hans Selye stated, "Without Stress, there would be no life." However, there does seem to be a redeeming factor, and that is the fact that just as there is bad stress that can actually cause certain disorders in a human being, there is 'good stress' too, and this type of stress can promote wellness and a feeling of well-being, and the trick that each and every individual must learn is how to find a good balance between the bad stress and the good stress of life so that he would essentially be able to perform and live life as it is meant to be lived. (Dedicated to Advancing Our Understanding of: The Role of Stress in Health and Illness: The Nature and Importance of Mind-Body Relationships Our Inherent)

Stress can actually be extremely overwhelming, and when an individual is suffering from stress, he would often forget the fact that help is just a phone call away, and that it is possible to get rid of stress. More often than not, stress can take a toll on the physical body, and this means that as an inevitable result, the body will become more susceptible to infections than ever before, and if, by unfortunate chance, the patient already has some sort of chronic condition, then the symptoms of that particular condition will become even more aggravated because of stress. (Who can help you manage stress?)

The physical impact of stress, however, is different from one individual to the next, and the various types of emotional and physical responses that a person has to stress of any kind are actually set in motion by a set of chemical releases and actions. For example, when the individual has been stuck in a traffic jam for more than an hour, and there is a cacophony of car horns and there is too much noise and pollution and heat everywhere, then the person would automatically react with a certain amount of stress at least. When the danger or the stress-causing incident is over, the human body that is well equipped with the appropriate chemicals that combat stress, will initiate a reverse course of action that in fact will serve to release a different range of chemicals into the body and will bring the body into the balance that it is used and accustomed to. This phenomenon is referred to as 'homeostasis', and this is the elusive state of balance and equilibrium that is maintained in the stimulating forces of the body and in the tranquilizing forces of the body. (Renew - Stress on the Brain)

However, the fact is that when the body is not able to cope well and as a result is not able to maintain this delicate balance between the stimulating forces and the depressing forces of the body, and then there will be stress, which can also be defined as a state of internal imbalance. The stimulating and the relaxing and tranquilizing forces within the body are created by the 'sympathetic nervous system', which produces the 'fight or flight response', and the 'parasympathetic nervous system' that produces the 'relaxation response', all with a number of endocrinal glands. The hormones that are produced by the endocrine glands will in fact travel through the entire blood stream and serve to either suppress or to speeden up and accelerate the various metabolic functions of the body. The problem with these hormone-producing glands is that they often do not stop at any particular point in time, and this means that the stress that may be caused by any sort of imbalance in the chemicals would result in a prolonged existence of stress within the body. Therefore, an individual would have to consciously learn the various relaxing techniques that are taught by Doctors today in order to better combat the stress. Sometimes, it is even possible for the human brain, or in other words, prolonged stress may affect the area of the brain that is used for memory and learning, the 'hippocampus'. (Renew - Stress on the Brain)

How are High-level College Students generally affected by Stress? What can be done to lessen the stress for these individuals? It is a fact that college life can at times become extremely traumatic and stressful. Most of the time, parents and friends and the faculty idealize the time that they had spent in college in their yesteryears, when they had no real worries and no real responsibilities. The student who enters College however, finds that college life is not as idyllic as his parents had made it sound. There are many factors that may cause stress in the student's life, and some of these are the stiff competition for grades, the ever-present fear of AIDS, the need to perform at their best, each and every time, the career choices that they would have to inevitably make for their futures, the stress that may exist in the relationships that they form in college, and so on. (Stress and College Students)

However, as stated earlier, stress is only harmful and dangerous if it is excessive, and it may actually be beneficial to the college student as it would serve an entirely different purpose of stimulating and exciting the student into performing better and therefore would actually help him in his college life. There are many challenges in the life of a student, and these challenges would inevitably create stress in some form or another. What must be remembered is that the college student generally thrives on this type of stress as it stimulates him to some extent, and the fact is that, if there were no stress, then there would be no challenge in life, and what is life without stress and excitement? Life may become too boring and unexciting for the student. However, excessive stress must be strictly avoided. Most common forms of stress can be easily managed, though some may be so very severe that it may need some form of counseling and, in some cases, medication. Some self-help techniques for effective stress management generally work well for the college student. The first step is for the student to recognize his own role in the reaction to any particular form of stress. (Stress and College Students)

The second step would be for him to take steps towards organizing his personal life in a better manner so that he would be able to achieve and maintain a better balance in life and also in all his various different activities as a college student. The next step would be to make a serious attempt to learn the various relaxation techniques that experts teach. If he learns these techniques and utilizes them in an appropriate manner, then he would be able to handle his stresses better. If the student finds that he has more problems than he can handle effectively all by himself, then he must feel free to discuss these problems or at least a part of them with a specific group of people, and they may be professionals or his peers or his teachers. Often, the mere discussion of a problem with another problem will provide a perspective to the problem that may not have occurred to him earlier, and if he follows up the problem with this particular perspective, then he may even be able to sort out the problem by himself without much outside interference. The main sources of stress that are faced by a college student are the environment, which may actually serve to induce stress in a person. This may be because the environment may be either polluted, or too noisy, or too crowded, or there may be too much crowding, or it may be too cold, or too warm. The weather too plays an important part in creating stress in an individual, especially when the individual happens to be already stressed due to some reason or the other.

Another main source of stress may be physiological, like for example, any type of illness that the student is or had suffered from, any sort of injuries in his person, insufficient sleep, and inadequate nutrition, and also in some cases, the hormonal fluctuations that are a natural occurrence for this particular age group of individuals. The very thought processes of the college student may also become a major stress inducer in him. For example, when he expects perfectionism in everything that he does, but finds that he is not able to achieve this with ease, then he automatically becomes stressed. In a similar manner, when the student thinks too many negative thoughts and is quite pessimistic in his thinking, then too he becomes stressed. In addition to all this, there are certain social stressors that induce stress. These may be financial problems and constraints that he may be experiencing at the present time, or the demands that he course is making on him, or the death of a loved one, or the culmination of any social event. (Stress and College Students)

However, though it is simple enough to tackle all these forms of stressors and stresses, it is important to understand the fact that if these stresses are left to escalate, then the student may have to face psychological problems as a result, and his college work will suffer. if, however, others learn to recognize the various symptoms of stress, then it would be easier to deal with it and treat it before it escalates into an unforeseen problem. Some forms of stress affect only the person who is stressed, while other forms may affect all the others around him, like for example, when the student is in a relationship, and then his loved one would be able to point it out to him. The obvious physical symptoms of stress are the following, and many individuals may have experienced all or some of these symptoms at some time or the other during their lives. Muscular tension, an elevated blood pressure, a frequent cold or a cough, constant indigestion, and ulcers in a mild form, permanent fatigue and also sleeplessness, tiredness, frequent and constant headaches, as well as backaches.

The stressed out college student may experience most of these symptoms during the course of his college life. Apart from all the physical symptoms that are caused by stress, there are certain emotional or psychological symptoms that are also caused by stress. These are that the student may experience unprecedented anger and a high temper, with absolutely no real provocation, or he may be constantly irritable and easily irritated, or he may experience a mild or a severe depression, or he may feel that he is overwhelmed by the activities and by the course or by the events in the college. He may also exhibit mood swings, and theses may become dangerous to himself as well as to those around him. Stress also causes certain cognitive symptoms like for example, forgetfulness, extreme difficulty in concentrating, and a constant recurrence of all sorts of unwanted and repetitive thoughts that he feels that he cannot adequately control. (Stress and College Students)

The trick lies in effective control and, if possible, the elimination of the factors that are causing the stress in the college student. The first step to take would be to improve the health of the student, since it is an undeniable fact that the more healthy individuals who make it a point to eat well, sleep well, and also indulge in a moderate amount of physical exercises would be better equipped at any time to deal with stress factors than those student who do not eat or sleep well, and have no time for exercise. It is these students who generally feel overwhelmed by the events of the college and all its activities, and therefore feel more stressed out than others. It is also this type of student, who feels unable to cope, and often relapses into a mild or at times a severe depression. These students need to be taught the best and most effective way with which to deal with stress by paying more attention to his personal well being, like for example, getting more sleep, eating better, and so on. The trick is to find and achieve the right balance between the various factors that make up a college student's life, that are: sleep, food, relaxation and recreational activities, work, school and course work, and so on. There are some other students who find that they are constantly rushed, and they find themselves running against the clock most of the time, trying to keep up with all the numerous activities that college life has to offer them.

Finally, they feel that they have absolutely no time at all to catch up, and find that they are now lagging behind because of the lack of time. Teaching them the essentials of 'time management' techniques, however, can effectively help these students, and this would help them to cope better with college life. If the student were also encouraged to share his problems with others and discuss them in some detail with them, then a part of his problem would be solved. This is because it is in fact extremely easy to get virtually stuck or completely caught up in a problem so that the student's view becomes very narrow and constrained, and then he would inevitably lose his correct perspective, and then finally, he would feel that a small and minute failure is actually a great insurmountable problem. When the problem is discussed with a strong friend or a teacher or anybody, then it is possible that he would be able to see it for what it actually is a small problem that can be easily sorted out. The student would also feel that he has now gained a sense of control, and he can now take whatever action he desires to take to sort it out. (Stress and College Students)

It is indeed possible to reduce and control stress to a large extent, provided the student is aware of the problem and seeks advice or remedies for it. It must be remembered that stress is capable of affecting an individual in a holistic manner, which in other words means that it can affect the person physically, mentally, emotionally, as well as spiritually. Sleeplessness may lead to not only poor performance in college but also to a real vulnerability to road accidents, and can cause anxiety and depression and a total lack of concentration, which also leads to poor performance in his studies and school work. Stress may also cause the student to effectively abandon healthy and good habits such as eating well; sleeping well, and exercising well, and this in turn will definitely lead to other types of health problems. In the long run, these will affect the student severely. Heart problems, high blood pressure, arthritis, menstrual problems in girls, and constant headaches and backaches are all classic symptoms of stress, and in the long run, it can affect the student very badly. (Stress: University of North Dakota)

Short-term stress can be dealt with effectively by teaching time management methods that would help him balance time with the number of activities that he would have to perform in the college. He can also learn how to modify the environment in which he is functioning, so that he would find it easier to work. Where long-term stress is concerned, the college student would do better if he were to seek and find his own stress level, so that he would be not only able to manage his time and activities effectively, but would also be able to choose his own goals and see to it that he achieves them. He would also be able to make his own decisions so that they would suit his purposes better, and this would also help him to keep his expectations and ideals at a more realistic level instead of expecting something higher than what he can hope to achieve and then feeling depressed about it. This would ensure that the student would be able to accept the things that he cannot hope to change and live with them so that he is not affected by the stress factor in the issue. The student would also be prepared to actually anticipate stressful situations and be well prepared for them well in advance so that when the stress were to occur, he would deal with it in the manner in which he saw fit. This means that he would live in the present reality rather than in some high expectations from the past. (Stress: University of North Dakota)

In Law School, stress can manifest itself in the same ways as it does in other settings, and the students of Law School must be taught the essentials of stress management techniques so that they would be better able to cope with it. The student may find that he is falling ill more and more often, with severe headaches, loss of appetite, frequent backaches, anger and temper tantrums, a general lack of control in all activities, and so on. He may want to run away from the situation, and he may feel that the best way in which to manage stress is to drink himself into a stupor, or consume more coffee, or use drugs, and so on. All these methods must be discussed and discouraged by the faculty, in addition to the strict warning that the student will not be accepted by the Board of Bar Examiners in the application to the Bar. Therefore, the Law Student must be taught the best way in which to manage stress, and some of these methods must be discussed within the college so that the student does not feel that he is all alone in his problems. (Law School and Stress)

As far as job stress is concerned, it is a very difficult issue to tackle effectively, because of the fact that unlike chemical or physical dangers and hazards at the workplace, stress cannot be quantified or defined, and most corporations and organizations define stress as an innately personal reaction to the various events in the organization, and most often, it is the symptoms that are treated and not the causes of the stressful situation. There have been several objections to this type of stress management, because of the fact that in this method, it is the victim who is blamed, and not the workplace that has resulted in the stress in the individual. The need for intervention techniques for the effective management of stress in the workplace has been largely ignored, and this has resulted in the increase of stress and stress related ailments in the employees of the organization. (Job Stress and Heart Disease: Evidence and Strategies for Prevention)

'Stress Management Intervention' is a technique or a plan or a strategy that teaches an individual who is affected by stress in his daily life, either as a student, or as an employee, or as an employer, and so on, so that he would be able to overcome the stress and all the associated disorders and symptoms that are making his life more stressful and traumatic. (Stress Management Interventions) the difficulty, however, lies in the fact that 'stress' as such has so very many varying definitions that there are quite a few myths and mystery surrounding it, and this makes it difficult for the experts to design an appropriate program that would combat stress effectively and efficiently. If the simple definition that 'stress is an excessive force' that interferes with daily life and functioning were to be taken, then the fact that the human body responds to varying degrees of stress in different ways can be understood, and the method with which stress can be fought can be studied. These are also generally referred to as 'coping strategies' and theses are the broad range of activities that the student or the employee or anybody at all can take part in so that the uncomfortable or unpleasant situation that they are in can be changed and modified so that it becomes more comfortable and easy. (Stress and Work)

These coping strategies can either be physiologically based, or emotion based, or specific problem based. The first method, that of physiologically-based coping plans, deal with the method in which the human body is prepared at all times for the 'fight or flight response' as an important means of defense. One example would be the way in which the body can prepare itself with all the appropriate defense mechanisms when being attacked by a wild animal, or when involved in an accident on the road. The human body is, in fact, capable of activating all the specific mechanisms that would not only defend him but also help him to survive that particular threat to his life. There will be a rise in muscle tension; there will be an accelerated heartbeat and the smaller blood vessels in the skin and in the digestive contract so that this blood would flow into the brain and into the muscles of the body. There will also be an increased secretion of hormones like adrenalin, which, in combination with other hormones in the body, will have the effect of increasing significantly the amount of glucose and of fatty acids in the body, and these materials act as fuel for the brain and for the muscles.

What must be remembered is the fact that although the environment has changed today, and the stressors that used to exits in older times no longer are applicable to the human body, the effect of stress on the body is still the same, and the human body still reacts in the same way as it used to a stressors as it used to before. For example, in a workplace, the stress may be ongoing, or in other words, ever present, and this means that the employee will be exposed to some form of stress almost continually within the workplace. What this means that, it was definitely good in older days for the body to be well equipped with the appropriate responses to stress so that the human body could be protected fine, but today, the continual effect of stress only causes several physical and psychological problems in the body. Therefore, learning the techniques that would minimize the effects of stress response in the body would prove to be extremely beneficial to those people who are subjected to stress most of the day. (Stress and Work)